RCDC Project Summary/Abstract The UTMB OAIC will promote development of the next generation of geriatric/gerontologic research leaders through direct financial support for salary, structured mentoring, participation in interdisciplinary conferences, didactic training, and networking activities. Scholars will have access to infrastructure support from the RCDC and other cores, from the UTMB Institute for Translational Sciences, and from other OAICs as appropriate. Specific objectives of the RCDC are to: Objective 1: Identify, recruit and select qualified scholars who are beginning their scientific/academic careers in aging and demonstrate the potential for multidisciplinary translational research. Objective 2: Create Individualized Career Development Plans for each scholar that identify a lead mentor and mentoring team with defined roles, document expected milestones of research progress including scientific publications, presentations, completion and submission of grant proposals, and training in scientific integrity and the responsible conduct of aging related research. Objective 3: Develop and implement a high quality program of education and training activities integrated with mentoring experiences that provide RCDC scholars with the skills necessary to establish productive scientific careers. Our goal is to provide a training program in which early career faculty acquire capabilities in research program development, scholarly communication, scientific leadership, and the translation of research findings to effective interventions. The objectives will be achieved by integrating the RCDC scholars with teams conducting research relevant to the OAIC theme of identifying pathways of physical function designed to develop targeted interventions to improve recovery from illness in older adults. The teams are multidisciplinary and led by experienced mentors with demonstrated research expertise and documented external funding. The RCDC leadership includes senior faculty with both research and administrative experience related to career development, e.g., directors of training programs, T32s, K12s. In addition, the RCDC will include clinician- scientists as members of each research team to ensure that the mentoring experiences are high quality and include appropriate translational opportunities related to aging and geriatric research.